STAFF REPORT
TO: JPA Executive Committee
FROM: Scott White, President & CEO
DATE: June 22, 2026
SUBJECT: A RESOLUTION OF THE JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF VISIT GREATER PALM SPRINGS, RESOLUTION NO. JPA 2026-003, APPROVING AMENDMENTS TO THE PURPOSE AND
POWERS OF THE JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
That the JPA Executive Committee, serving as the governing body of Visit Greater Palm Springs (VGPS), adopts and approves Resolution No. JPA 2026-003, a resolution to amend the purpose and powers of the operative joint powers agreement for VGPS, in the form of the Third Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement.
BACKGROUND:
VGPS is a Joint Powers Authority operating under the Joint Exercise of Powers Act (California Government Code §§6500 et seq.) The JPA Executive Committee serves as the governing body of VGPS. The JPA Executive Committee adopted the Joint Powers Agreement (“Amended and Restated Agreement”) on January 20, 2016 (“JPA Agreement”). The current operative JPA Agreement for VGPS is the Second Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement (the “Second Amended JPA Agreement”), that was approved on June 14, 2024.
VGPS previously commissioned a series of feasibility studies for a potential regional amateur sports complex. The results of the studies made it clear that a thoughtfully designed indoor facility could fill a critical gap in both our tourism economy and our community recreation infrastructure. Beyond the numbers, this project offers a major step forward in regional quality of life, keeping local athletes closer to home, creating new opportunities for youth development, and supporting wellness, recreation, and community pride. A regional amateur sports complex can generate meaningful economic impact, help retain local talent, and support a more resilient and diversified, year-round economy. By taking the lead, the region can establish itself as a premier destination for sports and tourism, while fueling development across retail, hospitality, and entertainment.
To further the vision of a regional amateur sports complex in the Coachella Valley, there is a proposed resolution, Resolution No. JPA 2026-003, which would include amendments to the Second Amended JPA Agreement, i.e. the Third Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement. These amendments would allow member cities the option to develop a Tourism Improvement District or Infrastructure District in collaboration with VGPS. In particular, the proposed amendments would include revisions to the “Purpose” of the Second Amended and Restated JPA (see, Section 3, p. 3), and the “Powers” of that agreement (see, Section 16, p. 8), as indicated below:
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Section 3. Purpose
The purpose of VGPS is to benefit all JPA Members and their constituents by jointly:
(a) Marketing, attracting, encouraging, promoting, and doing such other things as might be necessary to enhance, to the greatest extent possible, all aspects of the hospitality, convention, and tourism industry in the Coachella Valley and to maximize attract visitationors from national and international markets; ; and (a)(b) Doing such other things to drive, advance and support promote and strengthen initiatives to strengthen and diversify all aspects of the regional economy related to the hospitality, convention and tourism industry, and the diversification of the entire economy of the Coachella Valley; and
(b) Developing, fostering and facilitating Coachella Valley destination-enhancing improvements and infrastructure including, but not limited to, .sports complexes, and entertainment venues, and meeting facilities, either directly and/or forging dynamic public-private partnerships.
Section 16. Powers of the JPA
Pursuant to the Joint Exercise of Powers Act, as set forth in section 6500 et seq. of the California Government Code, this JPA shall have the authority to exercise any power common to the contracting parties, including without limitation any of the following:
(a) The power to make, enter into and perform all necessary contracts; (b) The power to engage necessary employees, to define their qualifications and duties and to provide a schedule of compensation for performance of their duties; (c) The power to retain agents, independent contractors and consultants, including without limitation the power to engage legal counsel and other professional services; (d) The power to acquire, construct, manage, maintain or operate any building, works or improvements;
(d)(e) The power to acquire by purchase, grant, gift, lease or other lawful means any real property or any personal property that may be necessary or proper to carry out the purposes and intent of the JPA;
(e)(f) The power to hold any real property or any personal property that may be necessary or proper to carry out the purposes and intent of the JPA;
(f)(g) The power to sell, lease or otherwise dispose of any real or personal property including exchanging equivalent properties if it is deemed to be in the best interests of the JPA; (g)(h) The power to donate any surplus real or personal property to any public agency or nonprofit organization;
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(h)(i) The power to incur debts, liabilities or obligations, including without limitation the power to borrow money, give security therefore, and purchase on contract; (i)(j) The power to raise revenue for any public purpose consistent with the JPA’s purposes, as set forth in this Agreement, through any legal and appropriate means including other than levying a tax or assessment beyond the scope of those assessments which may be established and levied pursuant to the Parking and Business Improvement Area Law of 1989, Streets & Highways Code §36500 et seq., and the Property and Business Improvement District Law of 1994, Streets & Highways Code §36600 et seq., and any other applicable provisions of California law authorizing the formation of assessment, benefit, or financing districts as referenced in Section 16(l);
(j)(k) The power to form, renew, and modify improvement districts including all Lodging Establishments, as defined in Section 1, pursuant to the Parking and Business Improvement Area Law of 1989, Streets & Highways Code §36500 et seq., and the Property and Business Improvement District Law of 1994, Streets & Highways Code §36600 et seq., as well as any other applicable provisions of California law authorizing the formation of assessment, benefit, or financing districts, which authorizes joint powers agencies to establish, modify and renew parking and business improvement areas and property and business improvement districts for the purpose of tourism promotion, destination marketing, economic development, and the financing, development, operation, and maintenance of public and private improvements, facilities, and infrastructure, including sports, entertainment, meeting, cultural, and related uses.. Approval of this Agreement by the JPA Members constitutes consent to:
(i) the formation of the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau Tourism Marketing District adopted pursuant to Ordinance No. 2013-001, including all proceedings and actions previously taken by the VGPS in connection with formation of the said district (“2013 TMD”); and
(ii) the formation of the Greater Palm Springs Tourism Business Improvement District pursuant to Resolution No. 2016-004 and to levy an assessment of three percent (3%) on Convention Hotels;
(iii) the renewal of the Greater Palm Springs Tourism Business Improvement District pursuant to Ordinance No. 2020-005 (“2021 TBID”) and to levy an assessment of three percent (3%) on Convention Hotels and one percent (1%) on vacation rentals; (l) The power to form these districts, as discussed in the prior section, Section 16(l), and incorporated herein by this reference, shall extend to the ability to establish such districts on a regional basis or within defined subareas of the JPA’s territorial boundaries (“Regional Districts”) that include only those JPA Members in those Regional Districts. Those Regional Districts may, or may not, include all JPA Members depending on the makeup and reach of the Regional District. For any Regional District that does not include all JPA Members within its boundary, the formation, rate, and management district plan shall be subject to approval by the legislative bodies of only the JPA Members in those Regional Districts and may be approved by a majority vote of those JPA Members’ legislative bodies, within those Regional Districts, consistent with applicable law. Incidental to this power to form these Regional
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Districts will be the power to plan, finance, develop, construct, acquire, operate, and maintain tourism-related infrastructure and facilities, including but not limited to sports complexes, entertainment venues, meeting facilities, and other visitor-serving improvements, either directly or in partnership with public or private entities; (k)(m) The power to adopt rules, regulations, resolutions and ordinances that may be necessary or proper to carry out the purposes and intent of the JPA; (l)(n) The power to enforce rules, regulations, resolutions and ordinances for the administration, maintenance and operation of the JPA;
(m)(o) The power to enter into joint powers agreements pursuant to the Joint Exercise of Powers Act, as set forth in section 6500 et seq. of the Government Code; (n)(p) The power to provide insurance pursuant to section 989 of the Government Code et seq.; (o)(q) The power to sue and be sued in the name of the JPA; (p)(r) The power to conduct certain activities of the JPA in any state or territory of the United States of America or in any foreign country, related to growing and diversifying the economy through promoting and marketing all aspects of the hospitality, convention and tourism industry in the Coachella Valley for the purpose of attracting visitors, groups, meetings, conventions and new businesses from national and international markets, as permitted pursuant to Government Code section 37110;
(q)(s) The power to travel domestically and internationally that is necessary or proper to carrying out the purposes and intent of the JPA;
(r)(t) The power to provide staff and resource support, financial assistance and subsidies to other public agencies, non-profit organizations and the private sector for purposes consistent with the purpose and intent of the JPA;
(s)(u) The power to lobby on behalf of tourism and economic development; (t)(v) The power to form a non-profit corporation or other affiliated non-profit entities for the purpose of promoting and enhancing all aspects of the tourism and economic development industry; and
(u)(w) The power to take any and all actions necessary for, or incidental to, the powers expressed or implied by this Agreement and all applicable laws.
VGPS staff recommends that the JPA Executive Committee, serving as the governing body of VGPS, adopt and approve Resolution No. JPA 2026-003, a resolution to amend the purpose and powers of the operative joint powers agreement for VGPS, as outlined above, in the form of the Third Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement.